


Protego

by bigboobedcanuck



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blow Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Physical Abuse, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 08:14:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigboobedcanuck/pseuds/bigboobedcanuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noah hurts Luke. Reid is there to make it better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protego

**Author's Note:**

> Importing my old fic from LJ. This is Canon? What canon? (Or, Train? What train?) and veers off from the show after The One True Ending (aka Reid proclaiming his love for Luke in the parking lot). Takes place a month or so down the road; Noah's still around doucheing it up. The title is Latin for "to protect."

“Why are you pretending to sleep?”

Luke exhales and shifts slightly, still curled away from Reid onto his side. Reid’s been home for about half an hour, and Luke listened to him microwave dinner (if you can still call it dinner at two o’clock in the morning) and have a shower. When Reid tip-toed into their room — which used to be Katie’s, before she moved in with Chris — and sat on the side of the bed, Luke remained still and concentrated on breathing evenly.

Reid sighs. “What did I do?”

He sounds so _weary_ , and Luke is awash in guilt, since Reid is the last person to blame. “It wasn’t you.”

Luke doesn’t want to turn over. He doesn’t want Reid to see the swelling in his face, or the bruise darkening under his eye. He doesn’t want to deal with this.

He doesn’t want this to be real.

“Then what?” Reid’s hand is warm on Luke’s bare back, rubbing small circles. Steady and secure.

With a deep breath, Luke rolls over, looking up at Reid in the moonlight. Reid’s intake of breath is sharp, and he’s frozen for a moment. Then he’s off the bed in a burst of energy, fatigue vanished. “What happened?” He looks like he’s going to jump out of his skin, but then he kneels beside Luke on the mattress, snapping into doctor mode. He brushes Luke’s cheek gently, examining Luke’s face. “How did this happen?”

“It was an accident.” Luke runs his hand soothingly over Reid’s damp chest. “It’s no big deal.”

“What kind of accident?” Reid leans over and flips the lamp on and lightly prods Luke's cheekbone.

Luke can't answer, which is answer enough.

Reid tightens his jaw. “Someone did this.”

“It was an accident,” Luke repeats, hoping to make it true.

“Tell me.”

“It’s my fault. We argued again, and he was leaving. He’s finally going to LA after that delay in funding, and I didn’t want to end things badly.”

Reid’s expression is stone and his hand stills where he’d been caressing Luke’s hair. His voice is low, barely controlled. “Noah did this to you?”

“He didn’t mean to. He was walking away, and I grabbed his arm, and he kind of...shook me off, but he...”

“Hit you in the face.”

“It was my fault.”

Reid presses his lips together and a moment later he’s gone, out the bedroom door. Luke calls after him and listens, and he can hear Reid in the kitchen. When he returns, he brings a gel ice pack wrapped in a tea towel. He perches on Luke’s side of the bed and presses the ice over Luke’s eye and cheek. With his other hand, he squeezes Luke’s fingers. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I’m fine, Reid. He didn’t mean to hurt me. I’m sure he feels terrible.”

After the the explosion of pain and _smack_ that seemed to reverberate in Luke’s ears, Noah had stared, open-mouthed. _God, Luke. Look what you made me do!_

Reid takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. “Did you take any Advil? It’ll help with the inflammation. And the soreness.”

Luke shakes his head slightly, and after a minute Reid goes to fetch a glass of water and several little brown pills. Luke tries to smile. “Four? Trying to knock me out?”

“Eight hundred milligrams. Same as two extra-strength tablets. Trust me, this is nothing.” He lifts the ice pack and peers at Luke’s face. “I can get something stronger tomorrow.”

“Reid, I’m fine. Come to bed.”

Reid’s already in his boxers, and he climbs beneath the duvet and gently nestles up behind Luke, holding him close. The anxiety that has churned Luke’s stomach all night abates as he relaxes in Reid’s arms. Usually it’s Reid who falls asleep almost instantly, a result of years of sleep deprivation as a doctor. But tonight, as his eyes grow heavy, Luke knows Reid lies awake. He murmurs softly as Luke drifts off.

“It wasn't your fault.”

*

Luke turns over and something squishes beneath his shoulder. Confused, he blinks awake, aware that the left side of his face is throbbing. It all comes back in a rush, and he sits and picks up the thawed ice pack. The bed is empty, which isn’t unusual, since Reid’s hours are long and varied. Luke listens carefully, and there’s only silence in the rest of the apartment.

His reflection in the bathroom mirror makes him wince. The bruise has darkened considerably and his eye is puffy. He takes more Advil and pretends this is just another day, although he can't muster the desire to do more than pull on a t-shirt over his track pants. A glance at his phone tells him no one has called. Luke isn’t sure what he expects from Noah, or what he even wants. Maybe nothing now.

After an hour of blankly staring at a morning show, Luke calls the hospital for Reid’s schedule. He learns Reid postponed a surgery until tomorrow for personal reasons, and he’s just dialling Reid’s cell as he paces the kitchen when a key scrapes in the front door. Reid walks in, and his expression is equal parts defiance and guilt, and Luke knows exactly where he’s been.

The tears Luke’s been working so hard to keep at bay spill out, the muddle of emotions boiling over. Reid stares, horrified. “No, no, no! Don’t do that!” He rushes to Luke’s side, taking him in his arms. “You're not supposed to do that.”

Luke leans into the embrace, soaking Reid’s shoulder as he cries. Reid guides him to the couch and rubs his back comfortingly. “I’m sorry, okay? Noah’s fine. I didn’t hurt him.”

“Huh?” Luke lifts his head and sniffs loudly, utterly confused.

“Isn’t that why you’re upset?”

Sometimes it’s like Reid can see right through him, and Luke won’t have to explain a thing. He forgets how other times, Reid can be so completely clueless. Laughter fights the tears. “No, Reid.”

Reid stares, totally baffled. “Then why?”

“You love me.”

“And...this upsets you?”

“No!” It thrills him. Warms him. Amazes him. “It’s hard to explain. I just…thank you. For caring. For moving your surgery so you could go protect my honour. Or whatever.” Luke laughs again, wiping his eyes. “Thank you.”

Reid peers at Luke seriously, cupping the uninjured side of his face. “No one hurts you. _No one._ ”

Luke leans close and kisses him softly. “I love you so much.” He snuggles into Reid’s side and they relax back into the cushions. Luke rests his head on Reid’s shoulder carefully. “So, what did you say to him?”

“I may have uttered a threat or two. Or five. And shoved him into a brick wall.”

Luke isn’t sure how this should make him feel, and he’s quiet for a few moments. He takes a breath. “Before, even after we broke up, I couldn’t imagine him not being in my life.”

Reid clears his throat. “And now?”

“I’m starting to forget why I ever liked him at all.”

Taking Luke’s hand, Reid squeezes it with his own. After a few moments of silence, he asks, “How’s the pain this morning?”

“Okay, I guess. I took more Advil.”

“Well, Mr. Snyder, I don’t think that’s going to cut it.” Reid gives the coffee table a shove with his foot and slides off the couch. He kneels between Luke’s legs, spreading them wide. Reid tugs the track pants down easily and caresses Luke’s thighs, nuzzling his belly, planting little kisses on the sensitive skin.

It still surprises Luke how much Reid loves going down on him. He’s not sure why it was unexpected, but it was. Luke has always relished giving head, and it delights him that Reid does, too. As Reid closes his lips over the blunt tip of Luke’s cock, his palm squeezing around the base, tendrils of pleasure curl through Luke.

Sex with Reid is a revelation. Luke is exploring desires he never knew he had, and he wonders why he ever, _ever_ wanted to wait. He threads his fingers into Reid’s hair, and Reid hums as he swallows him into his throat in one movement. Luke jerks, gasping with pleasure, his eyes closing for a moment.

Then he gazes down again, because he loves watching Reid during sex. Sometimes — a lot of times — Reid still says the wrong things to the wrong people at the wrong moments. But with Luke, with Reid’s mouth and his cock and his hands and his body, every word is right.

Luke is panting as Reid licks and sucks him, lips stretched. He caresses Luke’s balls, and the pressure builds inexorably. Luke mutters Reid’s name as his hips lift, his cock seeking more of the tight, wet heat of Reid’s mouth. Then Reid snakes his hand down and slips his finger into Luke’s hole, and Luke is coming, mouth open as the ecstasy washes over him.

Reid swallows every drop, milking the last shudder of pleasure. Resting his hands on Luke’s thighs, he straightens up on his knees and sweeps his tongue between Luke’s parted lips. Luke loves to taste himself. Loves that Reid doesn’t spit him out.

Reaching down, he fumbles with the button on Reid’s jeans. Reid helps him, and guides Luke’s hand to his rock-hard cock. Together, they stroke him roughly, the way he likes it after he’s made Luke come. It doesn’t take long, and Reid moans into Luke’s neck as he jerks and spills over their fingers.

They’re both breathing heavily, and Reid hauls himself onto the couch. They flop back, legs tangled, heads close on the cushion. “Do you prescribe this treatment for all your patients, Dr. Oliver?”

“Only the really hot ones.”

They laugh, and Reid brushes his thumb over Luke’s lips. “How’s the pain?”

“Gone.”


End file.
